Warriors said they will spend their Saturday night as homebodies

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Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against the L.A. Clippers in the first half during an NBA first round playoff basketball game at the Staples Center on Thursday, April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

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LOS ANGELES — The Warriors do not just have to account for a hungry Clippers team eager to overachieve once again. The Warriors do not just have to worry about guarding against their own complacency, either.

With the Warriors holding a 2-1 first-round series lead over the Clippers, they also have to guard against L.A. nightlife. The consequences could prove drastic considering tip off starts at 12:30 pm PT

“You can’t get too relaxed and enjoy L.A. too much,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We have to enjoy our rest the rest of the day and tonight and be ready to play tomorrow for an early start.”

The Warriors might struggle with consistency and effort. Yet, the Warriors do not appear concerned that would make them feel compelled to hit Sunset Blvd, enjoy bottle service and go clubbing for too long. Save that itinerary for less important games.

“In the regular season, I really worry about a day game in LA and Toronto. Guys aren’t as focused and you worry about them going out,” Kerr said. “I’m not worried about that here during the playoffs. Our guys get our rest.”

To prepare for that scenario, the players requested to have practice on Saturday morning as opposed to the afternoon. They presumably wanted to spend the day in the city as opposed to in the gym.

Afterwards, Klay Thompson planned to see his family after attending Santa Margarita Catholic High in Orange County. Kerr has been reading for pleasure, the latest titles including Tom Verducci’s “The Cubs Way” and James Kerr’s “Legacy.” And the Warriors insist they will be a homebody at night.

Then, the Lakers nursed season-long injuries to Kobe Bryant during his 20th and final NBA season. The Lakers had cemented their worst record in franchise history with coach Byron Scott struggling to manage Bryant’s final season, a young roster filled with intriguing albeit unproven players and a handful of veteran’s on one-year deals. Meanwhile, the Warriors were en route toward setting the NBA’s best regular-season record (73-9).

Nearly three years later, the Warriors cited foggy memory over the details of that game. But they insist it was not because they were all hungover. Thompson considered that storyline “a little bit” overblown.

“It may be an affect for some people. It’s not really an affect for us,” Green said. “For some teams, it has an affect on them. But I never played anywhere else.”

The Warriors enter Game 4 against the Clippers with much different circumstances. They anticipate the Clippers will play them physically. They fear another strong game from their reserves in Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. With the Clippers trailing by one game in a first-round series, the Warriors are concerned they will play with even more intensity than when they overcame a 31-point deficit in Game 2.

Hence, the Warriors insist they will just enjoy L.A. during the day. They said they will not enjoy L.A. too late into the night.

“I don’t mind it,” Thompson said of the early game. “It’s knd of cool. You can enjoy the rest of your day. It’s rare.”

How well the Warriors enjoy the rest of their day might hinge on much they enjoyed Saturday night.